Biden Wades in a Little Too Deep as 'Killer' Putin Issues a Direct Challenge
President Joe Biden has been challenged to a live-streamed debate by Russian President Vladimir Putin after Biden insulted the former KGB agent this week.
During an interview Tuesday with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Biden claimed that Russia would pay for allegedly meddling in the 2020 presidential election, and also said that Putin has no “soul.”
“[Putin] will pay a price,” the president said after being asked about an intelligence report alleging Russia interfered in the election to help former President Donald Trump.
Asked about what consequences Putin will face by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, Biden said, “You’ll see shortly.” Biden also expressed agreement with the sentiment that Putin is a “killer.”
EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Biden told @GStephanopoulos that he agreed Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “killer” and will “pay a price” for interfering in U.S. elections. https://t.co/rIe2ms8sSv pic.twitter.com/VtAGCvF9hp
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 17, 2021
Biden might have let his mouth write a check that he isn’t capable of cashing while in the safe company of the left-wing Stephanopoulos, as Putin now wants a virtual face-off. ABC News reported that Putin proposed an immediate debate between the two men that will be visible for the entire world to see.
“I’ve just thought of this now,” Putin told a Russian state-run TV outlet Thursday. “I want to propose to President Biden to continue our discussion, but on the condition that we do it basically live, as it’s called. Without any delays and directly in an open, direct discussion.”
“It seems to me that would be interesting for the people of Russia and for the people of the United States,” Putin added.
The Russian leader then said he’d like to have that debate as soon as this weekend.
“I don’t want to put this off for long. I want to go the taiga this weekend to relax a little,” Putin continued. “So we could do it tomorrow or Monday. We are ready at any time convenient for the American side.”
Apparently, Russians don’t have a lot of faith in Biden’s abilities to face anyone at all in any public forum — much less a debate with an international rival. Biden can’t even face the Democrat-friendly activist reporters in the White House media pool, and that information is no secret internationally, as Biden has actually gone nearly two without facing reporters in a formal, solo news conference.
Putin, to Biden’s credit, is the human face of a ruthless and once-global superpower wishing to claw its way back to prominence, and Biden is absolutely correct to think of him as a killer. But it appears Democratic Party talking points found their way into Biden’s interview this week, and the comments might have further damaged already tense relations with Moscow.
This apparently happened for no other reason than that the Russian threat has been so overplayed in American politics for so long now that Biden couldn’t help himself. Comments Biden makes about Putin now come with consequences — and those include the Russian head of state backing him into a corner that there is no way out of.
Democrats, including Biden, have of course used “Russia! Russia! Russia!” as their scapegoat for almost all things relating to Trump for more than four years. But Trump is no longer president, and using such rhetoric while serving as president is a different story than insulting someone like Putin as a candidate.
Russia already called home its ambassador to Moscow on Wednesday after Biden’s “killer” comment. Now, the man who was the target of the comment is going directly after Biden — signaling in the process that Russia senses weakness with the inept president.
Everyone knows Biden would not be capable of facing Putin — especially Putin. White House press secretary Jen Psaki essentially ruled out any chance of the Biden v. Putin debate on Thursday when she was asked about it during her daily media briefing.
“I’ll have to get back to you if that is something we’re entertaining. I would say that the president already had a conversation with President Putin,” she said. “The president, of course, will be in Georgia tomorrow and quite busy.”
No surprise there.
Putin, for his part, also told Russian reporters, “I would say to [Biden]: ‘Be well.’ I wish him good health. I say that without any irony, without jokes.”
The sarcasm wasn’t lost in translation.
The Russian president exudes strength — even if it’s the wrong kind of strength. Biden, despite his jawing while speaking with Clinton ally Stephanopoulos, projects weakness. A shark such as Putin will always smell blood in the water, and Biden is hemorrhaging.
Biden has stumbled out of the gate in almost every aspect of his young presidency. On Tuesday, Biden gave one of the country’s most dangerous adversaries a chance to strike him with a killer instinct, and it took that man but a few sentences to expose Biden’s vulnerabilities on the global stage.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
